Keith Baker and Keith Baker Are Teaching Sessions at Dungeon Master Academy

Since 2018, Tabletop Vacations has been organizing immersive events where experienced game masters manage Dungeons & Dragons games in historic castles in the UK and at Landoll’s Mohican Castle. The comprehensive packages are highly favored among career game masters who seldom have the moment to join in the game themselves, and they often look for guidance from seasoned professionals on topics ranging from spontaneous storytelling and puzzle design to managing conflicts at the table.

In response, the organizers began designing a organized method to tackle these topics, which led to the establishment of the Dungeon Master Academy. The inaugural event is scheduled for January 2-3, 2026 at an Atlanta campus.

“You can watch countless online tutorials on any topic and acquire valuable insights, but the idea was that there’s just no substitute an in-person experience together with other dungeon masters, where direct communication with faculty instructors and your peers who are probably in a similar position and also want to enhance their abilities,” stated the program's dean.

Course Offerings and Pricing Tiers

DMs can opt for options ranging from $995 to two thousand five hundred dollars, based on the level of access they desire with the experts. The base tier includes a choice of four workshops:

• Skill Building: Teaches the basics of leading a game.
• Story Arc Development: Focuses around crafting long-running games.
• Universe Design: Concentrates on the development of worlds.
• Industry Advancement: Aimed at game masters who seek to understand more about the roleplaying business.

Every class includes two days of classwork divided across two days.

“The classes are created so that you walk away with usable skills, enhanced belief in your abilities, and a lot of usable tools,” Carl noted. “They’re not just lectures and they’re not just static videos. These classes that you can attend, gain knowledge from, and then return to your group the week after and put into practice in your local game.”

Professional Teachers

Many sessions are taught by duo of instructors. Worldbuilding is taught by an industry veteran and Keith Baker, both teaching the skill of universe design.

Industry advancement presents multiple instructors, such as Elisa Teague, a podcast co-host, and a pioneering DM. The extra instructors is intended to provide specialized information to students with particular aims.

“Some of them plan to create their own live gameplay show and share their stories with the world, several aim to release and write original content,” Carl stated. “Several only seek to ask, What does it take to be a DM at a program like an immersive experience? What are the skills that I need? Is it for everyone?”

Premium Packages

A $1.5K premium package includes access to a opening gathering, a introductory package, and a half-hour consultation appointment with one of the faculty. This constitutes the inaugural DMU session, though the company has previously run Castle Days during breaks between adventures at their castle events.

“You could almost run an entire weekend just on one-on-one meetings for expert DMs,” Carl said. “I'm not certain if that’s the most effective utilization of all participants' schedule – I believe the structured learning and the practical exercises is extremely important – but I think it’s going to be among the most sought-after parts of the program.”

The $2,500 top package provides an 60-minute private session and the opportunity to run a game for a small group plus one of the faculty members, who will then give comments and instruction.

“The goal is for the teacher to review whichever aspect is concerned with: Hey I don’t do well with spontaneous decisions or I feel stuck in specific fight encounters. Could I demonstrate a situation for you and receive input on my areas of proficiency and challenge?” Carl said. “Or maybe they want to obtain critique and information on a specific world that they’ve been developing.”

Coming Developments

Input from the first event will help determine subsequent DMU events. Carl suggested that likely modifications could include expanding one-on-one sessions, extending the program to 72 hours, or testing alternative workshop formats.

“I expect that we conduct these frequently,” Carl said. “I really want to see multiple Dungeon Master Universities in a calendar year, in different cities, and in different countries. The feedback has been really terrific. We're quite pleased with the results so far and I think it would be wonderful to be able to do this in partnership with big conventions.”